A decade or so back, McGregor hardly figured on the wine scene, with just one co-op to its name. Today nine cellars make up the informal wine route that starts just outside Robertson and ends high on the mountain en route to the Boesmanskloof hiking trail.
Last month McGregor Tourism announced with pride that this year's one-day Food and Wine Festival would feature, for the first time, only local wineries. They will set up in the village Dutch Reformed church hall along with food stalls offering delectable country fare.
Local restaurateurs and caterers will present finger food to complement the wines in style, with items like pork pies and pickles, liver pate and quince jelly, ostrich carpaccio, olive quiche, riblets with crispy chips, brandy tart, handmade chocolates and local cheese.
Food and wine pairing will be both fun and manageable, and visitors will discover new labels and many that offer excellent value. For those contemplating visits to these cellars, it's important to note that many are open by appointment only at this stage.
The McGregor route starts near the bridge over the Breede just outside Robertson, where the Marais family offer tastes of their affordable sauvignon blanc, merlot and red muscadel from a 19th century cellar - and where locals stock up on affordable spirits.
Around the corner and up the rise, six barrels mark the entrance to Buitehof farm. The cellar started operations in 2002 which was when Gideon van Zyl persuaded his initially reluctant father to keep some cabernet back when delivering the bulk to Robertson winery.
This was also how friend and neighbour Neil Colyn started at Koningsrivier, where he now makes three robust reds which are attracting approval from restaurateurs.
Much nearer the village, off the gravel road that snakes to Bonnievale, farmer Mark Tolmay decided, after 14 years of growing wine grapes, to try his hand at making wine as well. Now Buffalo Creek offers a chardonnay, pinotage, merlot and rose, and he has established a farmworkers' trust to transfer a percentage of profits to his employees.
Tanagra is another boutique cellar outside McGregor which has become as renowned for its eccentric owners and their antics as for their unusual wines - both of which please locals who feel the family is a worthy addition to a population noted for nonconformists. The owners have temporarily moved to Limpopo, leaving McGregor garagiste John Hargreaves in charge of both vineyards and cellar. Heavenly Chaos is one of three red blends emanating from this cellar.
John's own hugely popular red blends, the 2005 Wolfdoring (cab, merlot, cab franc and shiraz) and his 2006, an 80/20 melange of merlot and cab franc, will be at the festival and can be tasted at the delightful little cellar next to his home in the village.
The old road to Robertson, a gravel route through stunning scenery and secluded farms, also leads to Kings River estate where enterprising Hollander Ruud de Clercq unearthed a very old underground cellar, resurrected the farm sheds above it and started making a ruby cab, a shiraz and a cabernet blend. The old gabled farmstead next door boasts an interesting history, although it is largely in ruins today.
The granddaddy cellar, McGregor co-operative, is sited just outside the village, and offers a wide choice of labels at prices that surprise even the budget-minded. Its colombard is always a winner, the locals love the quaffable colombard-chardonnay, and the red muscadel is a fortified bargain.
High above the village, where proteas bloom and young vineyards cloak stretches of hillside, Lord's sauvignon blanc and pinot noir are produced in a new thatched cellar at the roadside. Whether the maiden vintage will be bottled in time for the festival winemaker Newald Marais has yet to decide.
- The McGregor Food and Wine Festival takes place on August 25. Entrance costs R50 which includes a glass and booklet of 20 coupons. Phone the tourism office on 023 625 1954 or email [email protected] for more information.
- Sauvignons, both white and red, are the undisputed stars at the annual festival hosted by Mike Brampfield Duggan in a southern suburbs setting. This year the Vineyard Hotel in Newlands is the venue, the date is August 24 and the event runs from 5pm to 9pm. Visitors can sample and compare more than 50 2007 sauvignon blancs and 40 of their red brothers-in-bottle, and purchase favourites at discounted prices.
The entrance price of R50 includes both glass and snacks. Tickets can be bought at the door or at Wine Concepts shops in Newlands and in Kloof Street.